Tiger Woods' biggest statement comes after play in bold step

16 May 2018

He won a major championship at a time when others using variations of anchoring a putter up against their chest or their stomach also did so. He brought a surprisingly soft and scoreable Stadium Course to its knees with a combination of precise ball striking to conservative targets-he hit 82% of his fairways this week, the highest of any Players victor since famous fairway-finder Fred Funk won in 2005-and a hot putter, a belly-length flatstick that he clings to his left arm when he strokes it.

Woods had 110 yards to the pin, he belted a 60 degree wedge, only to see the ball spin back off the front of the green. Once it was announced last week he was going to play, the thoughts of him returning to the winners' circle started to come. He is the only player to have won The Players Championship when it was held in March (2001) and May (2013).

"Odds of him losing this are one in 20", Johnny Miller said about Simpson.

He recalls the moment in the vehicle park at the Northern Trust Open two years ago when after missing another cut, an honest debrief with caddie Paul Tesori led to his putting epiphany.

McIlroy missed the cut following a disappointing 74 during the second round.

He shot 69 and tied for 11th. "There have been some tough moments along the way, but to come here against this field and put up some good numbers the first three days and do what I needed to do today to get it done, I'm so happy". Xander Schauffele, Charl Schwartzel and Jimmy Walker finished in a three-way tie for second place, while Jason Day and Jason Dufner tied for fifth place with at 13-under.

Tiger struggled in the first two rounds but had two great rounds over the weekend.

While a big lead looks like a foregone conclusion from the outside, Simpson confirmed it was a less than comfortable position for the man in the arena.

The resulting double-bogey bounced Woods out of the top 10, which meant a significant difference in prize money, FedEx points and the world ranking. "It was a long day and it is actually probably harder work to be ahead by five or six than near the lead." said Simpson.

Woods began the day tied for eighth, 11 strokes behind Simpson. Webb received a message from his mother that she wanted him to win after her house may have caught on fire. Almost two and a half years have passed, but for players like Simpson, it has to feel like an eternity.

Justin Thomas left the TPC Sawgrass as the No. 1 player in the world.

Tesori, the caddie for The Players Championship victor Webb Simpson, grew up down the road from Sawgrass and has played the course more times than anyone in the field. The score matched the course record at TPC Sawgrass, and Simpson also tied Day's 2016 record of being 15-under par halfway through the event. "He's certainly playing well enough to do so". Simpson's win felt like a bit of a buzzkill. However, he bogeyed the 14th and double-bogeyed the 17th after hitting his tee shot into the water for the first time since 2006.

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